HTTP in Detail

• Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)
• Used to access the World Wide Web and is used by all of today’s web applications.
• A simple protocol that was originally developed for retrieving static text-based resources.
• HTTP uses a message-based model in which a client sends a request message and the server returns a response message. 
• Connectionless: although HTTP uses the stateful TCP protocol
• Note: Each exchange of request and response is an autonomous transaction and may use a different TCP connection

• HTTP Request header
• HTTP Response header
• HTTP Methods
• URL’s
• REST URL’s
• Cookie
• HTTP Response status code
• HTTPS
• HTTP Proxies
• HTTP Authentication

Recommendation

• HTTP: The Definitive Guideby David Gourley and Brian Totty (O’Reilly, 2002)
• Website of the World Wide Web Consortium at www.w3.org.